by Cherry Kay
The sun was shining beautifully as the temperatures began to rise. This time of year it was usually perfect weather for outdoor sports, but there had been a bit of a heat wave happening as of late. At least the coach had enough foresight to schedule practices early in the morning before it got past ninety degrees. He could thank God for some small favors.
There was a slight breeze, which helped combat the violent rising temperatures, and the smell of freshly cut grass hung in the air whipping up nostalgia as it always did. Dan almost forgot to be angry for a moment; the smell of fresh cut grass always had that effect on him as it took him back to a simpler time when he was younger and everything in life made perfect sense. It was funny how the older you got the more confused you became by everything. He had always thought it was going to be the other way around.
The other guys were already warming up and Dan hoped that he wouldn’t get any hassle from the coach about being slightly late, but he didn’t see the coach anywhere so he guessed he was dodging that bullet. Dan sat his bag down by the bench and filled a cup of Gatorade. He chugged it down and took a few more deep breaths to calm himself down some more.
Being out on the field with the rest of the team was really increasing his anger. He could just feel the buzz in the air that everyone was still talking about Rick and what a hero he was. He hadn’t even been able to turn on ESPN without seeing Rick’s face all over the place with footage of his incredible rescue that someone had filmed with their smart phone and posted all over YouTube, of course. He was even pretty sure that the person filming was on the ride that was breaking down. Who in the hell took time out of a life-threatening situation that they might be in to film something with their stupid phone? Kids today were moronic on another level.
Of course only part of the ride that really broke happened to be the car that Rick and Denise had been in; none of the others had come apart after the ride became stuck after a mechanical malfunction. Dan didn’t really read about what happened to the ride. He was far too mad about seeing Rick cast into the superhero role. He bet the Hollywood offers would come rolling in any second now. Rick was a superhero on the field and now he was a superhero off the field as well. And the bastard was so good-looking that a male fashion model would be envious of him.
Dan hated to feel this way. He had never really envied anyone before, but this situation was getting the better of him and he wasn’t sure how to handle it. It was interfering with his own skills and playing on the field. He was second guessing himself, allowing his emotions to get the better of him at times and he had even messed up a few times, which he never did. Rick was really doing a number on him. The guy was such a show off. He had a lot of natural ability, that could not be debated, but he didn’t seem to realize that they were a team. The team was the most important thing and there was no room in this sport or on this team for a show off like that. Dan was determined to school that boy in some very important lessons. He wasn’t really sure how yet, but he had to take the boy down a peg or two.
There he was. Rick came bouncing down the field doing some sprints and some stretches, getting ready for practice. The other guys were already watching his every move. It was sickening. They circled around him like vultures just trying to get a piece and they were all pretending to be his best friends, but really they just wanted to be a part of the show. Although, Dan believed some of the younger players really did admire and envy Rick about his prowess on the field. They would soon learn that they guy was a jerk and was a total show off.
The coach finally arrived on the scene. He appeared to be hungover, but of course he would never admit to it. Dan couldn’t count how many times he had found the coach passed out in his office with an empty whiskey bottle beside him. He had thought about taking some blackmail pictures, but he was probably going to have to get in line behind the people who had enough dirt to blackmail that guy. Besides right now, he had other things on his mind.
The coach was actually a pretty cool guy, as far as coaches went. Every coach Dan had ever played under had taken the hard-ass thing way too far, but Coach Everson didn’t really do that. He did no more than was required to keep people motivated and on task. That was his job; he had to make sure this group of misfits and amateurs looked like a well-oiled machine of professionals and that they didn’t embarrass themselves or the investors and sponsors who had so much money put into the organization.
The coach ordered the team to start some beginning warmup drills. The goalie was basically going to take a beating for a few. The team lined up and just fired balls at him as hard and as fast as they could. Dan always enjoyed this part of the practice. It was fun to watch the goalie damn near kill himself and it was good warm up for target practice and to get the muscle memory and coordination going between the mind and the foot. It was also helpful to alternate legs when doing this.
After the drills, the team took a short water break. Dan chugged two big cups of water followed up by a few cups of Gatorade. This always seemed to do the trick at keeping him hydrated and preventing any muscle cramps. A lot of guys just stuck with one or the other and not nearly enough of either one. He guessed that was why he was a captain and a veteran and most of them were rookies, at least compared to him. These were the little things you picked up over time. There were some things that only experience could teach you. He had offered some advice to the others about things like this before and they hadn’t listened. Then they were complaining about being dizzy or weak and getting leg cramps later on. He would just have to shake his head and laugh. That was what happened when you didn’t listen to the voice of experience, he thought. They deserved what was coming to them.
Like Rick.
Rick hustled up beside him and drank a few cups of water. Dan watched as he passed up the Gatorade and smiled to himself. He was already thinking about how he could use this to his advantage today.
“Hey, buddy. How’s it going?” Rick asked.
“Pretty good, how about you?” Dan replied, flashing his best fake-but-genuine-looking smile.
“No complaints, I guess.”
“Good to hear. So, how’s it feel to be a hero?”
Rick smiled and tried to shake it off. His modesty was so fake.
“That was pretty scary stuff, man. Glad you’re all right. How is Denise?” Dan asked.
“She’s fine. It was scary as hell, man. I’ll tell you what.”
“I’ll bet. But now you get to be a hero. Everyone wants a piece of Rick Thompson, don’t they?” Dan asked. He was trying not to sound condescending, but the anger was there sometimes and he couldn’t hide it. But he didn’t think that Rick could really tell how he was feeling. The guy was far too stuck in his own head.
“It is what it is, which is actually really annoying. I just want to concentrate on preparing for the game this week, but everywhere I go, it’s like I’m being mobbed by people who want a picture or an autograph. I mean, I understand that is a big part of the gig, but there has to be a limit, right?”
“Yeah, absolutely. I’m sure it will die down after a bit. You just got to tough it out,” Dan replied. He couldn’t believe how much this stupid kid was bragging. He was so used to bragging that he didn’t even realize it when he did it. What a punk. Well, I’ve had enough of this punk.
The players started to run back out on the field as the coach yelled at them to get their lazy butts off the bench. Break time was over.
Dan smiled to himself as an idea began to develop inside his mind. He was going to take care of this situation. The team would be short-handed a great player, but there had to be a limit to this showboating stuff. And the team would be better off for it.
The coach split the team up into two groups: the rookies and the veterans. The coach did this pretty much every practice. It was a good way for the rookies to realize how much they still had to learn and for the veterans to pass down some of their experience and knowledge. When you were talking about a sport the best way to do this was by demonstrating live
and in the field. Talk was not enough.
Dan knew what he had to do. The plan took shape perfectly in his mind as the play started. He kept his eye on the ball out of the corner of his eye and saw that Daniels was moving along slowly. He was baiting the rookie Carter, trying to get him off his game and cause him to get overzealous. It worked and Carter lunged at the ball. Daniels let him miss it and then passed the ball to Dan.
This was perfect. Dan knew that this was going to go down this way perfectly. He saw Rick up ahead of him and he just needed to bait him the way that Carter had been baited and then he was going to make the play. Rick came at him cautiously; he wasn’t as easily fooled as Carter had been, but his impetuousness would get the better of him. It was just a matter of time and patience on Dan’s part.
It happened.
Rick thought he was being sly and had moved close enough to steal the ball that Dan was leaving wide open. Any veteran would have seen the trap a mile away, and Rick even knew it was a trap to get the ball by him by having him overreact, but he figured that he would be able to outfox the fox.
Rick lunged at the ball and might have kicked it away from a weaker player, but Dan anticipated every nuance of the move and stepped to the side, knocking the ball away just out of Rick’s reach. Dan let his foot linger long enough in the air that his kick ended up kicking Rick right in the ankle, and dragging it down to the ground beneath Dan’s own foot. Dan purposefully put his entire running weight onto Rick’s ankle and he thought he felt something snap beneath him.
Rick’s face grimaced in pain as his body collapsed and his knee twisted beneath him under the awkward flailing of his body weight as he plummeted hard to the ground. To make it look convincing, Dan stumbled and tripped himself to the ground. He landed somewhat hard, but faked a loud groan to make it look worse as he rolled to a stop several yards away.
He laid there for several seconds listening to the screams coming from Rick. He had felt something pop in the punk’s leg. It had worked even better then he thought.
“Aaah! My knee!” Rick screamed.
Several of his teammates were gathered around checking him out. The coach and the team doc were on their way over as well. A couple of guys came over to check on Dan.
“Dude, you okay?” Collins asked. He offered Dan his hand, and Dan took it and rose slowly to his feet, faking like he was really shook up but not injured.
“Yeah, I think. That was a wipeout,” Dan said. He pretended to notice how badly Rick was hurt suddenly. “Oh, Jesus. Rick!”
Dan jogged over to join the crowd. It was time for some Oscar-winning acting.
Rick was lying on the ground, clutching his knee in total agony.
“Oh my God! Dude, are you okay? Oh, man I hope you didn’t tear something.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never hurt like this,” Rick groaned.
The team doc arrived and started to examine Rick, checking the knee which was already starting to swell up noticeably.
“What the hell happened?” The coach asked.
“I don’t know. I tried to move away as Rick lunged for the ball and I somehow got his foot trapped under mine… I can’t explain. It happened in a second,” Dan said.
The coach and the doc helped Rick limp off the field. He was going to have to go to the hospital and get some x-rays to see what happened. The doc figured he had torn something in his knee and twisted his ankle really good too. It was too early to know how long Rick would be out of the game.
Showering in the locker room after practice, Dan breathed a sigh of relief. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders and he could move on with his life for a bit without having that jerk’s shadow looming over him. It was nice to breathe a real sigh of freedom.
He felt a bit guilty about having to hurt Rick. He was a gullible fool who didn’t even realize what he was doing half the time, but Dan had to put him in his place and make him and the rest of the world realize that the Almighty Rick Thompson was human just like everyone else. It was done out of mercy when you thought about it the right way.
Dan wondered what Denise would think of her action hero now that he was going to be laid up with a bum knee for a bit. He would probably have to limp around on crutches for a while. There was nothing sexier than a guy on crutches, right? Dan laughed to himself and hoped that no one could hear the glee escaping from his lips.
Denise was a beautiful girl. He had played it cool with here so far, but he was no way near where he wanted to be with her. As soon as he had laid eyes on her, he had wanted her. She was sexy, sophisticated, and a totally classy lady. She wasn’t like the typical girl Dan went out with. She was a cut above and he felt that she wouldn’t take the chance to get to know the real him because of Rick being in the way. With Rick out of the picture now maybe he could get somewhere with her.
He would let her have some time to digest what had happened with Rick and for the damage to be done to their budding relationship. Dan would probably have a chance to speak with her at the hospital later. Being one of Rick’s best friends and his mentor, it wouldn’t look right if Dan didn’t make an appearance. He decided that he would swing by, crack a few jokes, offer his sincerest apology, and reestablish himself as a possibility in Denise’s life.
It was all too easy.
Chapter 7
“This movie is so boring. I swear I’m losing IQ points,” Ali said, shoving a handful of chips into her mouth.
“Careful! You’re getting crumbs all over the couch!” Denise said. Ali wasn’t exactly the neatest of eaters.
“They’re falling on my shirt. I’m totally going to eat them,” Ali replied.
“That’s so gross,” Kelly chimed in.
The girls were relaxing at Denise’s apartment watching some cheesy eighties teen movie on Netflix. It had been a while since they had taken some time for themselves to just unwind this way, especially during the week. After much prodding and guilt inducing Ali and Kelly both had talked Denise into taking a personal day off work. Denise had finally given in because her friends were very persuasive and she had no pending deadlines at the moment. And if she was being honest with herself, she hadn’t felt really well since the accident at the carnival.
She kept replaying the whole thing over and over in her mind; only she kept imagining the worst case scenario where she didn’t make it out okay. It was all a mind trip, and she had trouble convincing herself that she had really made it out unscathed. It felt like some weird form of guilt where she couldn’t imagine that she hadn’t been hurt or killed. There was no reason for her to be okay. Why was she bothered by this? Denise wasn’t sure. It was bizarre and made absolutely no sense. She should’ve been thrilled beyond belief to be okay—and she was—but she was also dealing with some weird emotional cast off from the experience that she didn’t know how to deal with. It was interfering with her work and it was driving her just a bit insane. She had not told anyone about her feelings and she wasn’t sure if she was going to.
They were enjoying the antics of the class nerd in the movie when Denise’s phone buzzed. She glanced at it casually and noticed a notification from one of the blogs that she regularly followed. The headline had Rick’s name in the title. That was all she needed to pick up her phone and check the article out.
“Hey! No working. We’re chilling here,” Ali said.
“Sorry, it’s something about Rick.”
“Ohhh, that’s way different,” Ali teased.
Denise read the first few sentences of the article and thought it had to be a joke. The blog post said that inside sources said Rick Thompson was injured at practice and that he may be out for the rest of the season. Denise had to convince herself that his was a joke. She googled the news story and found several sources all confirming it.
She couldn’t believe it. If Rick was out for the season, that was devastating.
“Oh my God,” Denise said. She was in shock.
“What’s wrong?” Kelly asked.
&n
bsp; “Rick got hurt at practice. He may be out for the season. It’s all over the news.”
“That’s terrible!” Ali said.
“Wait, you are just finding out about it from the news? Why didn’t he call you?” Kelly said.
“I don’t know. I’ll call him.”
The girls paused the movie while Denise called Rick.
He picked up on the third ring. “Hey, sexy. How’s it going?” Rick said, as chipper as ever.
“What’s going on? Are you okay? It’s all over the new that you got injured.”
“Yeah, had a little mishap at practice,” Rick said.
“Are you okay?”
“Yea, I’m fine.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“Because I’m okay. I didn’t want to bother you with this. I figured I’d tell you tonight.”
“I’m coming to the hospital,” Denise said.
“Why? I’m okay.”
“I just feel like I need to be there.”
“I’ll probably be discharged by the time you get here anyway. They took some x-rays and I’m waiting on the doc to give me the verdict on whether I broke something or tore something. Hopefully it’s just a bad sprain.”
“I’m so sorry. I feel like I need to be there,” Denise said.
“Well, okay. I’d love to see you anyway.”
***
A half hour later, Denise was waiting in the ER with Rick. She was comforting him by holding his hand. He was trying to keep up good spirits and a positive mental attitude, but she had the feeling that he was doing that just for appearances. He was scared and she could tell. If the doctor told him he had seriously injured his knee, he would definitely be out for the season and probably require surgery, maybe several. And if any of that happened, he might not be able to play soccer at the competitive level anymore. It would be a nightmare and he might be completely done with his career just as it was getting started.